


Leaves

by zhan9jun (seventheavenly)



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, 长得俊
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 07:43:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15019907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventheavenly/pseuds/zhan9jun
Summary: Yanjun comes to miss the Malaysian boy who always visits during summer holidays.When Zhangjing leaves, he takes summer with him, leaving Yanjun with the autumn breeze, the falling leaves and memories.And longing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This happened because I’ve been feeling melancholic lately, and because my playlist is somehow full of autumn songs despite it being summer. (Well, it’s summer all year long in Malaysia, anyway!)
> 
> I was planning to write a [highschool AU for ZhangJun instead](https://twitter.com/zhan9jun/status/997390570313011200), but that is still being drafted along with some others. So I suppose a childhood AU with mentions of highschool and college will do for now…?

 

When one is five and brimming with energy, nothing much can diminish one’s desire to go against the summer heat in search of adventure.

 

It is no different for Lin Yanjun, as he exits the barely cool comfort of his house to stumble into the front yard.

 

The sun’s rays beat down mercilessly, but Yanjun is too young to be bothered. Instead, his attention is focused on his mother’s flower bed — where he had found a stray rabbit the day before. Yanjun remembers its milky white fur amidst his mother’s flowers, its round eyes that a sparkled with an alluring invitation.

 

Despite that invitation, the rabbit had leapt away before Yanjun could reach it, leaving him downhearted. Having spotted movement from inside the house earlier, Yanjun had instinctively moved to see if the rabbit had returned.

 

Perhaps he would be luckier today.

 

Yet before he reaches his destination, the unfamiliar sound of a child distracts him. Peering over the fence to his neighbour’s house, he sees an unfamiliar boy. He wonders for a moment if his neighbours had always had children.

 

“Oh, Yanjun, it’s you!” His neighbour exclaims. “Our friends from Malaysia are here to visit. This is their son. Perhaps you’d like to play with him?”

 

No sooner has his neighbour finished, the boy makes his way to the fence with his hand extended.

 

“Hello, I’m You Zhangjing from Malaysia.”

 

Yanjun is a sometimes a shy and reserved child, but still ultimately a playful one — so he reaches to shake the stranger’s hand. “I’m Lin Yanjun. Welcome to Taiwan,” he says.

 

Zhangjing then leans closer, his eyes sparkling with an excited plea that has Yanjun unknowingly mesmerized. “Please play with me, the adults are so boring!”

 

And that is how Yanjun decides not to chase after a wild rabbit, but to hold on to the one before him.

 

That, is the first summer Lin Yanjun spends with You Zhangjing.

 

* * *

 

Three years later, they are seated on the patio of Yanjun’s house, both of them drenched in sweat and gulping down their own cans of chilled soda.

 

“That was my win,” Yanjun announces between gulps.

 

“Keep on dreaming, Lin Yanjun,” Zhangjing shakes his head and replies, “I obviously won that round.”

 

Yanjun merely smiles in reply — something Zhangjing has come to get used to since their annual meetings. The boy who is younger than him by a year seems less childlike in many situations, not being one to delve into childish arguments on a whim.

 

“Fine, you can have the last slice of cake, then,” Yanjun announces in defeat, but not in sorrow. His cravings already taking over, Zhangjing doesn’t bother wondering if the other had planned to let him have it from the start.

 

Watching Yanjun disappear into the house and reappearing with the last slice of his mother’s home baked cake on a plate, Zhangjing exclaims in joy and flashes a bright smile at his Taiwanese friend. Suddenly caught in a daze — from the older boy’s smile and the sparkling glee in his eyes — Yanjun stops in his tracks.

 

Zhangjing purses his lips at the action. “Don’t tease me, Lin Yanjun! If you want a rematch, let’s do it now!”

 

Shaking his head, Yanjun mutters an apology and sets it down before the older boy. He is barely seated before Zhangjing when he realizes that the slice is entirely consumed. Yanjun turns to look at the Malaysian boy with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

 

“Um, sorry,” Zhangjing mumbles. “I guess I should have still left some for you…”

 

The older boy looks so sincerely guilty that Yanjun can’t help but laugh in response, the sunset casting soft rays of light upon his dimples. “It’s fine,” Yanjun says, wanting to remind the other that he had other chances to eat it at other times of the year, when compared to him.

 

However, the words never leave his mouth — instead, he tastes the cake on Zhangjing’s lips.

 

Yanjun feels his cheeks heating up to be hotter than the weather, while Zhangjing smiles at him, claiming that is his apology. “At least you got to taste it!”

 

There is no shyness visible on the older boy’s face, so Yanjun wonders if it is normal for boys to kiss each other like this in Malaysia.

 

He finds out later in his teenage years that they, in fact, do not.

 

* * *

 

Zhangjing does not visit the year after and Yanjun feels at loss on what plans to fill his summer holidays with.

 

Surprised that Yanjun is spending more time indoors than being out and about during the holidays, Yanjun’s mother knocks on the door to his room only to find him scribbling away at his desk.

 

“I’m writing down what I did during the holidays ,” he says, “so I won’t forget what I want to tell Zhangjing when I see him again.”

 

“When will you see him again?” His mother asks teasingly, but regrets when Yanjun frowns in disappointment.

 

“I don’t know.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one asked, and I said I'd update this slowly but... here's another chapter! Enjoy (｡◕ω◕)ﾉ

 

When Zhangjing steps through the gate into the garden of Yanjun’s house the next year, he has no idea how fervently the other had prayed to see him again.

 

Instead, he is wrapped in a furiously tight hug by the other when he tells the younger boy that he had missed him. “What’re we doing today?” He asks brightly, when Yanjun doesn’t reply and only tightens his embrace.

 

“Why didn’t you come last year?”

 

They spend the entire morning in Yanjun’s room: Zhangjing excitedly telling Yanjun about the extra-curricular activities he had taken up in school, while Yanjun listens rather impatiently. When the older boy is done, Yanjun shoves all the letters that he had written during last year’s summer into Zhangjing’s hands. 

 

The older boy is surprised at the gesture, and more at how insistent Yanjun is that he should read them all. “Don’t miss any one of them, alright?”

 

Amused, Zhangjing chuckles, but he forces his laughs away, giving Yanjun a sincere smile as the other holds out his pinky.

 

“I promise.”

 

* * *

 

It rains the next day, much to Zhangjing’s disappointment. One of the things he looked forward to most when visiting Taiwan, or rather, Yanjun, was their outdoor adventures. He had been expecting this year’s for far too long to have it be halted as soon as he visited.

 

“I really wanted to see that lake you were talking about!” The Malaysian boy laments, pouting and looking at Yanjun as if he could chase the rain away.

 

And perhaps, because he had looked at Yanjun with such a gaze — the younger boy finds the courage to voice his ridiculous idea of going there anyway, in the rain.

 

“My parents will be mad if they find out,” Zhangjing’s eyes widen in fear and excitement. It reminds Yanjun of a rabbit, once again, and he reaches unknowingly to ruffle the other’s hair. “You say that, but you want to, don’t you?”

 

At Zhangjing’s enthusiastic nod, Yanjun chuckles. “Lucky for you, I too, am a free soul.” 

 

They sneak out into the rain easily because Yanjun’s parents have left to go to the mall, after making them promise to behave. Despite knowing their son to be rather rebellious at times, they did not expect that he would involve his visiting friend in his shenanigans.

Under the refreshing summer rain, Yanjun leads Zhangjing to the pond he discovered just barely two weeks ago. When they stumble out of the tree line into the small clearing, Yanjun turns to take in Zhangjing’s expression: the older boy’s astonishment, the sparkle in his eyes and the way he tiptoes to go slightly closer.

 

Raindrops drum lightly on the surface of the lake to create a symphony of ripples. Despite that, Yanjun wonders why the lake is seemingly unmoved — and it is his heart that is drumming against his ribs. He hears his own heartbeats magnified and drowning out the sound of the summer rain.

 

However, when Zhangjing slips and almost tumbles, when the older boy reaches to hold his hand in an attempt to stabilize himself, Yanjun’s senses are suddenly amplified: the pattering of raindrops filling his ears loudly, his heartbeats rippling all the way to his fingertips, and Zhangjing’s skin feeling very warm where their hands meet. 

 

Even though he is standing by the lake, Yanjun feels as if he is  _ inside _ it, drowning in a calm coolness and enveloped by the scent of wildflowers. It feels unfamiliar yet welcoming.

 

He only ponders for a brief moment on whether he would regret his actions, before he moves to kiss Zhangjing.

 

* * *

 

Their kiss is warm in the cool rain.

 

It reminds Yanjun of honey: sweet and wet.

 

It reminds Yanjun of summer holidays, always seeming to be too brief.

 

Always leaving him wanting more.

 

When they separate and Yanjun sees the flush on Zhangjing’s cheeks, the raindrops caught in the other’s eyelashes — he leans in for another kiss.

 

Just so the moment wouldn’t be buried under a heap of other childhood memories years into the future.

 

* * *

 

It is never forgotten.

 

Not in a year’s time.

 

Not after five years.

 

Not when Zhangjing stops visiting because he has to catch up on his exams while juggling his extra-curricular activities.

 

Neither of them forget their kiss in the summer rain — but they don’t bring it up either, so it might as well be a dream shared between two strangers. 

 

Surreal, fragile and untouchable.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

When Yanjun turns sixteen, he comes to know of the phrase ‘sweet sixteen’.

 

Like the inquisitive child he is, he wonders how the phrase came to be — because his sixteenth year as a boy living in Taiwan did not become any sweeter than the fifteen years before. At least, not until he returns from a two-day family trip to his grandparents’ place.

 

After his family unpacks, he heads to the back of the house to store the empty boxes away. When he is done, he catches sight of a familiar figure napping in his neighbour’s backyard, softly swaying in a hammock.

 

He smiles at the sight, the summer heat suddenly collecting at his chest.

 

Making his way over and greeting his neighbours, he asks for Zhangjing and is directed to the backyard. As he makes his way over to the hammock, he smiles at how peaceful Zhangjing looks in his sleep. For friends who only met over a few days annually, or sometimes not at all, Yanjun acknowledges that he has a very soft spot for the Malaysian boy in his heart.

 

Why else would be be smiling like an idiot at the other’s sleeping face?

 

Perhaps it is because Zhangjing is one of the few people who put up with his rebellious, random, and sometimes quirky temperament. Or perhaps it is because the other **_always_ ** gives the best reactions to the cold jokes he tells. Or maybe it is because Yanjun has told Zhangjing of secrets he has never told others before; and how Zhangjing also opens up to him the same way.

 

Or maybe it is the three kisses they have shared before — if the first one could even be counted as a proper one. Yanjun likes keeping it at three. After all, three’s a charm.

 

The thought leads his gaze to Zhangjing’s slightly parted lips: rosy and warm in the sun. Taking a look around just to make sure that no one is watching him, he leans in to reduce the distance between their faces, their lips.

 

However, he stops short of brushing his lips on Zhangjing’s.

 

Yanjun doesn’t consider himself as someone to steal kisses. If he had to do anything, he wanted it to be known — he wanted Zhangjing to be awake. The other’s lips are so very tempting, despite his reservations. He wonders if the other would be angry if he were to really steal a kiss. Especially considering the fact that it was Zhangjing who kissed him first, all those years ago.

 

He ponders about their unspoken words, the ambiguity and their actions, until a soft and sleep-laced voice breaks his thoughts. “Lin Yanjun?”

 

The younger boy stares into the drowsy brown eyes of the other, watching as Zhangjing’s eyes narrowed along with his smile. “You’re so handsome,” Zhangjing whispers. If the unexpected compliment isn’t enough to catch Yanjun off guard, the feeling of Zhangjing’s fingers on his cheeks that tilt his head slightly downwards to let their lips meet — does.

 

Despite the startling turn of events, Yanjun allows himself to drown in the kiss almost immediately: his fingers reaching to find home in Zhangjing’s soft hair, his tongue asking for entrance, his heart skipping when Zhangjing makes a soft noise of surprise when their tongues meet.

 

Yanjun has read of kisses that make one lose track of time, but it is his first time experiencing one. Breathless and flushed, he finally breaks the kiss to see Zhangjing looking back in a daze in matching ragged breaths.

 

“Did you sleep well?” The younger boy doesn’t know why his first thought after a kiss is to tease the other. He later knows that it is because Zhangjing always looks so innocently tempting to tease, and also because the older boy gives very amusing reactions.

 

This time, however, Zhangjing’s eyes widen in shock. “This isn’t… a dream…?”

 

Instead of answering, Yanjun chuckles and soon bursts into laughter at the other’s misunderstanding. Zhangjing’s face flush redder under the sun’s rays and the younger boy wonders if he had kissed him because he thought it was a dream.

 

Would he still have kissed him knowing it wasn’t?

 

Curiosity does not win him over, so the question stays as a thought.

 

Instead, Yanjun smirks as he stares at the flustered boy. “I don’t think the Yanjun in your dreams would look as handsome as I would.”

 

Upon hearing his words, Zhangjing huffs and reaches to slap Yanjun’s arm lightly, chiding him for being narcissistic. The younger boy chuckles and reminds him that he had just complimented him for being handsome before kissing him. Shushing him, Zhangjing covers his face in embarrassment and pleads Yanjun to stop bringing it up.

 

“So, you’re saying you would like me to forget whatever just happened?”

 

Slowly and hesitantly, Zhangjing nods.

 

Yanjun’s answer is the opposite: immediate and definite.

 

“Not a chance.”

 

 

* * *

 

“I thought I wouldn’t see you this time around,” Zhangjing mutters between bites of his burger. “Aunty said your family went for a trip but she had no idea where or for how long.”

 

Smirking at the sight of Zhangjing enthusiastically downing his lunch, Yanjun replies mischievously: “Were you worried you wouldn’t see me? Did you miss me that much?

 

The older boy rolls his eyes as he takes a sip of soda, but smiles after. “Do you say that to flirt with girls, Lin Yanjun?”

 

The question catches Yanjun off-guard, not because they had never spoken about their romantic interests or _girls_ in general. It is unexpected because the younger boy had never really given much thought crushes. He had listened to classmates talk about theirs, had some love letters slipped into his bag, but he had never actually sat down to think about flirting or _romance_.

 

“I don’t know…?” Yanjun answers, because that is the truth.

 

Zhangjing does not seem to buy it, however, rolling his eyes and then shaking his head. Still, the other does not press for more answers. “What are we going to do after lunch? Please don’t tell me we’re just going to walk through every nook and cranny of this mall,” the older boy pleads subtly.

 

Considering the fact that their parents were away with their own plans for the day, the two of them had the ample time to themselves there. “There’s an arcade, even though it’s rather small,” Yanjun notes, “or we could catch a movie?”

 

The Malaysian boy’s eyes light up at the mention of movies, so they head over to the cinema, grab popcorn and soda and seat themselves in the backmost row of the cinema. From the poster, Zhangjing had assumed it to be some sort of action adventure. However, it is barely a few minutes into the film when the older boy lets out a small whimper. “Yanjun, don’t you think this film is a bit too quiet? Too dark?”

 

The younger boy can’t help smirking at the tremble in Zhangjing’s voice. “Maybe it’s a one of those horror adventures, they’ve been popular lately.”

 

“I **_hate_ ** horror films,” Zhangjing whispers fiercely.

 

“Maybe it’s just this bit,” Yanjun whispers back, grinning when the light from the screen illuminated just enough of the other’s face. “You look really spooked — you’re really bad with horror films, huh?” Zhangjing’s fingers find his arm and pinches hard, so much that Yanjun lets out a stifled yelp and gets hushed by someone seated at the front.

 

Still, Lin Yanjun chuckles softly after in amusement.

 

They end up leaving the movie after fifteen minutes, with Zhangjing dramatically narrating how his heart is about to fail from the tension.

 

“What do we do now, then?” Zhangjing scratches the back of his head sheepishly, suddenly regretful for having ditched the movie. He apologizes for wasting the tickets but Yanjun comments that it is worth seeing him freak out. Even though he rolls his eyes and threatens to walk him, the older boy agrees when Yanjun suggests going to the astronomical museum.

 

“It just opened not long ago and I’ve been wanting to go,” Yanjun says and Zhangjing does not miss the excitement in the other’s voice.

 

“You’re so surprising, Lin Yanjun,” he comments as Yanjun leads the way. “You look like you’d be the type to party all night long, but you’re one for the arts, huh?”

 

“It’s not like you’ve only known me for a day,” Yanjun replies, but does realize that despite their friendship spanning through years, they had spent less than a few month’s time together. He reminds himself to ask Zhangjing for his number and email address later, feeling suddenly shy to just ask then.

 

* * *

 

Zhangjing, unlike Yanjun, is not one to appreciate what the museum has to offer. Still, he fawns over everything like a child, gaping at awe at different exhibits and dashing from one end to another.

 

Even though Yanjun shakes his head, he smiles.

 

“Hey Yanjun, there’s a show starting soon, should we go?” Zhangjing’s fingers find his, tugging expectantly. The Taiwanese boy wonders if it is his way of making up for their wasted movie tickets, but agrees to. After all, he had wanted to see it for the longest time.

 

Grabbing seats at a corner, Zhangjing marvels at auditorium and everything else the planetarium had to offer, explaining that Malaysia had none like this. More visitors trickle into the auditorium and the excited hush dims down as the show begins: the solar system, its planets and stars being projected into the space around them with a narration that wove through carefully-timed music.

 

Yanjun had wanted to see this show for the longest time, but even though he is finally seated in the auditorium with projections soaring within, his gaze falls back onto the boy next to him. Lights dance softly on Zhangjing’s skin, just enough for Yanjun to make out his awed expression — the other too engrossed in the show to pay him any heed.

 

“It’s so beautiful, Yanjun,” Zhangjing whispers, his softly excited voice eliciting a familiar feeling within the younger boy’s chest. When Yanjun does not reply, the older boy’s fingers move to find him, his fingers grasping his hand lightly.

 

Immediately, Yanjun feels like he is back at the lake: with raindrops kissing them in the summer heat, their warmth travelling through where they are touching, his heart threatening to beat its way out of his body. Yet this time, it is night, with stars dancing around them, a distant soft tune filling his ears in a slower rhythm than his own heartbeats.

 

The same unfamiliar yet welcoming aura enveloping him.

 

In his daze, Yanjun ponders about his sudden urge to kiss Zhangjing there.

 

Would he dare do it, despite being shrouded in darkness?

 

Would Zhangjing let him, out here in public?

 

Why did he even want to kiss the other so badly?

 

Were they just acting out of teenage impulses?

 

Did Zhangjing even enjoy it as much as he did, reasons aside?

 

His questions are left to wrestle each other as he stares on, as if he were trying to etch every feature of Zhangjing into his memory.

 

By the time the lights come on again, when Zhangjing turns to look at him and tilt his head in wonder — Yanjun is still staring, his questions still unanswered.

 

His kiss a distant desire.

 

* * *

 

Yanjun is mostly silent on the way home, occasionally replying with something witty to rile Zhangjing up or to make the other boy laugh. He lets the older boy speak, letting his bright voice fill his ears — just so he would be able to remember it better when the other wasn’t around.

 

“It seems that my parents are already back,” Zhangjing peers over and muses out loud as they arrive at Yanjun’s house. “Guess I’ll head over, then. Thanks for hanging out with my today, Yanjun.”

 

Before he can reply, the younger boy finds himself wrapped in a tight embrace. He instinctively returns the hug, Zhangjing feeling soft and _right_ in his arms. When the other moves to break the hug, Yanjun does not budge and Zhangjing chuckles.

 

“Missing me already?”

 

“Stay over tonight?”

 

Their questions overlap and they both stare at each other, wondering if they heard right.

 

“You said your parents would still be visiting landmarks with my neighbours tomorrow, right? That you weren’t looking forward to that — why don’t you,” Yanjun gulps, feeling a loss of control over his tongue. “Why don’t you stay over instead? We can hang out again tomorrow again, if that’s all right, I mean, if you want to.”

 

Zhangjing smiles a look in his eyes that Yanjun can’t quite figure out.

 

“Let me ask my parents, then.”

 

* * *

 

Yanjun feels silly as he stares at his bed, wondering about something seemingly trivial yet important to him.

 

After running back in excitement from asking his parents, Zhangjing had enveloped him in another fierce hug that had his heart racing yet again. The older boy then remembers that his clothes are back at the hotel, so Yanjun offers to lend his to him. Zhangjing is skeptical if they would even fit him, but Yanjun assures him that they definitely will.

 

Zhangjing chats with Yanjun’s parents during dinner, as if he is a long time friend of theirs. It isn’t that the Malaysian boy is a stranger to their family, but Yanjun marvels at how Zhangjing manages to have his parents warm up to him in no time.

 

After digging out some of his larger clothes, Yanjun’s toe hits the leg of his bedroom table when he directs Zhangjing to the attached bathroom. The older boy chuckles at his sudden clumsiness but says nothing.

 

While his guest is bathing, Yanjun pulls out the extra mattress from under his bed — stowed there for when his cousins or friends visited, which had become rarer and rare as he grew up. From the top of his cupboard, he grabs an clean bed sheet and pillows, carefully setting up the additional bed for the night.

 

The truth is, Yanjun is a clean freak and has never allowed anyone else to sleep in his bed. It also did not help that he could barely fall asleep in any other bed besides his own. Still, as he stares at the freshly set up bed, he feels guilty if Zhangjing had to sleep on it.

It was he who had impulsively invited the other over, after all.

 

The least he could do was to offer a nice and comfortable bed.

 

Unlike himself, Zhangjing showers fast and soon exits the bathroom wearing the borrowed clothes, damp towel hung around his neck. Before Yanjun gets to ask him about his matress preference, a knock is heard and his mother calls for them.

 

“Can I have a word with Zhangjing?”

 

Even though the question is followed by a warm smile, Yanjun can’t help but feel slightly skeptical. On the other hand, Zhangjing replies with an enthusiastic ‘yes’, waves a dramatic goodbye, and bolts out the room before his friend says anything.

 

Left without a say, Yanjun resigns his fate and goes for his shower. Unable to take his mind off what his mother could be talking to Zhangjing about, Yanjun decides to cut his bathing time short — just so he could interrupt their conversation in case his mother decided to disclose something Yanjun did not want his guest to hear.

 

Or in case his mother decided to show Zhangjing embarrassing childhood photos of himself.

 

Yet when Yanjun thought about it, the other had somewhat been with him as he grew up and there was not much to hide. Still, in the event that the conversation ends earlier, Yanjun does not want Zhangjing waiting for him, so he is done showering in record time.

 

When he exits the bathroom, Zhangjing isn’t there to greet him. Yanjun takes to pacing nervously around his room, waiting impatiently but unsure if he should interrupt whatever conversation the other two were having outside. Once again, his thoughts wander to the possible topics his mother and friend could be talking about, but he does not have many guesses by the time the door opens to reveal Zhangjing.

 

“Darling, I’m home,” the other announces cheerily, as if he had returned home to a spouse after a long day of work.

 

“Welcome back,” Yanjun replies on impulse, before realizing the context and staring embarrassingly back at the other. Zhangjing laughs but does not tease him further. Instead, the other moves to poke his chest accusingly.

 

“Lin Yanjun, aren’t you forgetting to tell me something?”

 

The sudden question catches the Taiwanese boy off guard, but he quickly understands what his friend could be talking about. So **that** was what his mother was talking to Zhangjing about. Even though he is confident in his guess, Yanjun decides to play dumb instead.

 

“Like what?”

 

“Like,” Zhangjing sighs dramatically, placing both hands on his hips, “the fact that your birthday is tomorrow.”

The taller boy shrugs, saying that it did not occur to him to bring it up. “I’m not big on birthdays anyway.”

 

“But it’s your sixteenth! It should be fun!” Zhangjing steps closer to Yanjun and despite being the shorter one, he looks at Yanjun as if he is staring him down, daring him to say otherwise.

 

Turning and heading to sit on his bed, Yanjun shrugs. “It’s just another birthday. I’m fine with a simple celebration.”

 

“But you didn’t tell me! I couldn’t prepare any presents - I even said I’d stay over without knowing it is such an important day tomorrow!”

 

Yanjun had honestly not intended to hide his birthday from Zhangjing. He had not celebrated his birthdays since entering secondary school. However, it seemed that Zhangjing felt differently about the matter, so he explains and asks if there is anything he could do to make it up to the older boy.

 

At the younger boy’s sudden offer, Zhangjing comes to be at a loss for words. “Um,” he pads towards the guest mattress and takes a seat. Looking up at Yanjun, he says that since he decided to stay over so suddenly, he really did not have anything to offer as a present. “And if you prefer not to celebrate, I won’t insist dragging you out either. I really want to give you a birthday present though.”

 

“Can’t your company be my present?” Yanjun suggests. “I’m happy enough to be spending my birthday with you by my side.”

 

Zhangjing blushes immediately at his words, then shakes his head at the dimples that have appeared on the younger boy’s handsome face. “I already decided to stay over without knowing, it doesn’t count!”

 

“What about watching a horror movie with me?” Yanjun teases, remembering the movie they walked out of earlier that day. “I bought some a few months ago but have yet to watch them.”

 

The older boy almost objects, but realizes that if he had stayed through the entire movie — that would have been some sort of a present for Yanjun.

 

So he obliges.

 

* * *

 

“Yanjun? Are you still awake?”

 

“Mmm.”

 

Yanjun is absolutely awake, but pretends to be half-sleeping just to tease the other for his own amusement.

 

“Can I…” Zhangjing hesitates and all is quiet in his dim room again.

 

“Nevermind.”

 

The older boy’s voice is soft and _scared_ , and it breaks Yanjun’s heart so he reaches to turn on his bedside lamp. “What’s wrong,” he asks, even though he can already guess what Zhangjing would say.

“I’m scared.”

 

The other‘s face is almost entirely covered by his blanket, only leaving his eyes to be seen. Yanjun is weak to the sight of Zhangjing’s bright round eyes looking so scared, so despite wanting to tease the other more, he does not.

 

“Do you want me to leave the light on, then?”

 

“I can’t sleep if the light is on…”

 

“Would you like to sleep on the bed instead? We could swap.”

 

“It won’t help…”

 

“Then,” Yanjun feels his throat go dry before his next words are spoken: “would you like to sleep with me?”

 

As if he had been waiting for those exact words, Zhangjing nods vigorously. Grabbing his blanket and pillow, he gets on Yanjun’s bed, adjusting the pillow and blanket next to the younger boy’s.

 

When Yanjun laughs at his antics, Zhangjing shoots him a weak glare. “Don’t laugh! You’re not allowed to laugh!”

 

Trying his best to suppress his laughter, Yanjun fluffs Zhangjing’s pillow and waits till the other is properly laid down before covering him properly with the blanket. Bidding Zhangjing good night for the second time that night, he reaches to switch the light off.

 

In the darkness and robbed of sight, Yanjun’s other senses are heightened: he feels the smallest shifts Zhangjing makes and hears his heart thumping as if he had been running for miles. He wonders if his friend hears it too.

 

Yanjun smells his shampoo mixed into Zhangjing’s hair, the other’s unfamiliar scent mingled with the smell of his borrowed shirt. He thinks about how his bed would, come tomorrow, have the remnants of Zhangjing’s scent too.

 

Lying there next to each other, sleep eludes both of them. When Zhangjing turns for the umpteenth time, Yanjun says: “I’ve decided on my birthday present.”

 

“Was forcing me to sit through a horror movie not enough?” The older boy sounds slightly angry, but his tone softens. If the room wasn’t as dark as Zhangjing wanted it to be, he would have seen the dimples on Yanjun’s face.

 

The younger boy chuckles and apologizes. “I’ll shut up, then.” Yanjun feels Zhangjing turn again, the other’s fingers accidentally brushing against his as he faced him. “Tell me. You can’t start and not finish.”

 

“Your phone number. I can’t believe we still haven’t exchanged phone numbers. Or email addresses.”

 

“That’s it? My phone number and email address? Are you sure?”

 

“I’m entirely serious.”

 

“That seems rather simple for a present, I don’t know if it even counts…”

 

“I’m not a greedy person. Don’t forget the horror movie.”

 

Zhangjing scoffs but answers: “Let’s do it now, then.”

 

Crawling out from under their blankets, they grab their phones to key in each other’s numbers and email addresses. Yanjun first saves Zhangjing’s name as ‘You Zhangjing From Malaysia’ but changes his mind barely a few seconds later. After changing it, he smiles in satisfaction and tries to sneak a peek at what the other saves his name as, but fails.

 

It takes him a while to work up the courage to ask, only because he does not want to sound obsessive, but before he gets to ask, Zhangjing sighs and looks at him sadly.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It just… feels like I didn’t really give you a present,” the older boy laments. “Even if I sat through an entire horror movie, even if we exchanged numbers — in fact, we’d have exchanged numbers sooner or later anyway, so-”

 

Yanjun cuts in to the other’s rambling and assures him with a grin. “As long as the recipient is happy, that’s fine, isn’t it?”

 

“Are you really fine with this?”

 

“Like I mentioned earlier, I’m honestly more than happy to have you stay over.”

 

“And I said it doesn’t count.”

 

“What do you propose, then?”

 

“Are birthday kisses popular here?”

 

If he were to be very honest, Yanjun has no idea what that is. He has never heard about it in school, not from his friends, nor from his cousins around his age. Perhaps, he thinks, it is something Malaysians do. It leads him to wonder about how many birthday kisses Zhangjing has given to others and he feels like he should not be left out of that list.

 

Yanjun nods. “They’re very popular.”

 

Zhangjing looks surprised for a moment before a knowing smile appears on his face.

 

“Am I getting one then?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“A birthday kiss?”

 

“If you’d like one?”

 

“Let’s do it so you can stop feeling bad for not getting me a present,” Yanjun replies, trying his best to not sound impatient.

 

“Of course,” Zhangjing leans over and presses a firm kiss on his cheeks — where Yanjun’s dimples would be if he was not frowning.

 

The younger boy feels rather betrayed. “That’s it…?”

 

It is Zhangjing’s turn to frown. “What kind of birthday kiss were you thinking of?”

 

They stare at each other in confusion and anger before Yanjun reaches to grab the back of Zhangjing’s neck.

 

“The kind we had back at the lake.”

 

A soft ‘oh’ leaves Zhangjing’s lips before he closes his eyes, leaning towards Yanjun and allowing the Taiwanese boy to finally get the present he wanted.

 

It is more than five years since the kiss at the lake, but Zhangjing’s lips are soft and warm just like how Yanjun remembers it to be. They aren’t drenched this time, but Yanjun’s heart is overflowing with rivers of yearning, bouts of nostalgia and a tinge of regret that the kiss may end too soon and leave him wanting more again.

 

Pulling Zhangjing even closer, he deepens the kiss — letting its sound fill the near-silence of his room.

 

When they break apart, both slightly panting and leaning their foreheads on the other’s, Zhangjing peeks at the clock on Yanjun’s headboard to see that it is already past midnight.

 

“Happy birthday, Lin Yanjun.”

 

And it is.

 

The sweetest sixteen Yanjun can ever ask for.

 

* * *

 

_Yanjun saves Zhanjing’s contact under the name: Top 1 Most Handsome In My Heart Lin Yanjun_

 

_Zhangjing saves Yanjun’s contact under the name: You ♥ Zhangjing_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Lin Yanjun, my son-in-law! (*ﾟωﾟ)ﾉﾟ
> 
> A much longer chapter this time! Was almost done with this chapter when I realized it was close to Yanjun’s birthday, so I waited to post it up. I HOPE ZHANGJING ATTENDS YANJUN’S BIRTHDAY PARTY AS A SPECIAL GUEST I WILL CRY AND BURY MYSELF IN THE GROUND
> 
> Sorry if the last bit sounds rather weird - I literally translated them from Chinese! (The woes of coming up with fic dialogues in Chinese, but writing the fic in English.)
> 
> Also, sorry if there are typos, it’s been a crazy week catching up with stuff at my new job — I’ll re-read some time and fix them up eventually if there are!

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this on a whim because of my playlist, so I don’t really plan to update this too frequently just yet, since I still have to finish To Quit Smoking. But if you're looking forward to more chapters, do let me know :)


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